Lyell: Source of funding all that matters in Colorado State football stadium debate

Jul. 16, 2013

Instead of coming into focus, the arguments for and against building a new on-campus stadium at CSU have become more clouded with each passing month.

The real issue all along has been the cost. Can Colorado State University afford it?

And athletic director Jack Graham, who first proposed the idea publicly shortly after he was hired Dec. 1, 2011, and CSU President Tony Frank have been clear from the beginning that no public money will be used to build a new stadium. That promise hasn't changed.

Yes, Frank insisted that $125 million of the estimated $246 million cost of building the stadium be raised before any dirt can be turned at the proposed site while securing approval from the CSU Board of Governors last fall. That doesn't mean he's expecting students, faculty and staff or the state's taxpayers to make up the difference. It simply means he believes half the money needs to be raised in advance through private donations to convince him it's financially feasible.

They're not buying a new car or a new house. Stadiums have revenue streams that continue long after they've been built. Graham and Frank and the Board of Governors believe those revuens will make up the additional $121 million cost. They can sell naming rights that will bring in several million dollars, maybe evens tens of millions. They can add a surcharge to tickets for events at the stadium — football games, concerts, soccer games, whatever — to help recoup the original construction costs. They can add an additional charge for game-day parking. They plan to lease commercial space within the stadium, rent out portions of the facility for conferences, weddings, reunions and other gatherings. And they plan to continue soliciting donations during the construction process.

This is the crux of the issue.

The most valid concerns about moving forward with plans for an on-campus stadium to be used not only for football but also by the school's new women's soccer team and other events is in regard to construction costs and revenue projections. Because they will be funding any amount not raised in advance through public bonds, backed by the university and therefore the entire state of Colorado, there is a real risk that public money ultimately will be used to cover any shortfalls.

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All the other issues brought up by proponents and opponents are smokescreens that have obscured the real concern, detracting attention over the issue from where it ought to be.

Will a new stadium make the CSU football team better? Sure. It will help the school recruit better players. But if that's the only rationale for building it, don't do it. It's not worth it.

Will an on-campus stadium cause traffic, parking and noise problems in the immediate area during events? You bet. If those are your only concerns, step aside.

Funny how city council candidates could support using eminent domain to shortchange Sears for its property at the Foothills Mall. How it could back what became a $53 million taxpayer subsidy for redevelopment while demanding that “not a single cent’’ of taxpayer money be used for road, sidewalk or other infrastructure improvements related to a new stadium at CSU.

Some even went so far as to call for a public vote — paid for by taxpayers — that would amount to nothing but an opinion poll, since state law makes it quite clear cities and counties have no say in what public universities can and cannot build on their campuses.

CSU and its 27,000-plus students, not to mention its faculty and staff and the auxiliary businesses associated with the university, clearly have a far greater positive impact on our local economy than the Foothills Mall could ever hope to have.

Again, it all comes down to money. If CSU can raise the money necessary to build the stadium without using public funds, by all means do it. If not, don't do it. On that point, even Jack Graham and Tony Frank agree.

Sports reporter Kelly Lyell can be reached by email at KellyLyell@coloradoan.com. Follow him at twitter.com/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news